Monday’s public session at First Hill’s Town Hall Seattle has seen all free tickets claimed. A standby queue will be formed at the venue’s west entrance.
The 4 PM to 7 PM event is being positioned as “an open space for cultural workers, artists, and people who care deeply about the creative sector to come together and help shape what’s next.” Members of Wilson’s Transition Team will present “conversation with leaders and practitioners from across Seattle’s arts, culture, and creative economy, for a shared look at the administration’s platform, priorities for the first 90 days, and opportunities to work together moving forward,” according to the event listing.
Just weeks into her new administration, Wilson’s most concrete acts have been an executive order to speed the creation of homeless shelters, another order to unclog the transit corridor for the Route 8 bus, and an overhaul of city leadership with recommitment from the city’s police chief and new directors for some of Seattle’s most important departments.
Wilson has advocated for policies that treat arts organizations as small businesses that require specific support to remain viable in an expensive city and the protection of affordable space for arts.
During her campaign and since taking office, Wilson has described the arts as a vital economic driver for the city and noted that Seattle’s creative sector including music, film, and visual arts is essential for revitalizing the downtown core and neighborhoods like Capitol Hill. She has said the city’s affordability policies must be aligned with housing that is affordable to tech worker and artists alike. “I want to live in a city that honors the things you do when you’re not making money,” Wilson famously said as she was sworn-in.
Wilson’s policy “co-leads” for arts and culture on her transition team are Randy Engstrom, of Third Way Creative, and Ben Hunter of Northwest Folklife. The Central District is strongly represented with Elisheba Wokoma of Wa Na Wari, Edwin Lindo of Estelita’s Library, and educator Jesse Hagopian part of the “policy area members” for culture and the arts on Wilson’s team.
CHS reported here on Wilson’s full 60-member transition team.
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